Canopy Atlanta asked over 50 South DeKalb community members about the journalism they needed. These resources emerged from that feedback.
Canopy Atlanta also trains and pays community members, our Fellows, to learn reporting skills to better serve their community. Adrian Coleman, a West End Fellow and Canopy Atlanta Researcher, contributed to this story.
In the ‘90s, the unincorporated, southern part of DeKalb County proved that, despite conventional wisdom, business can prosper in a predominantly Black area. Walmart, Kmart, and Home Depot locations all came to the area, as a direct result of the bustling business activity that already existed at Wesley Chapel Road. Really, residents felt like they didn’t have to leave the county for anything, especially basic amenities.
During the making of Canopy Atlanta’s South DeKalb issue, several folks with ties to the area said that by comparison, today they feel the lack of resources—whether that comes to finding healthy food options, establishing a small business in the area, or finding affordable housing. As a result, though, others have strived to be solutions-oriented in order to serve their community.
We hope that this is reflected—in both the list of resources compiled by West End Fellow and Canopy Atlanta researcher Adrian Coleman, and the map by Sean Fahie, where South DeKalb Fellows weighed in on which landmarks should be featured. As FRKO proclaimed for the issue’s cover art, South DeKalb “got sum to say.”
